House Silversmith
The indebted Silversmith House of Hazuk has fallen on hard times. The Silversmiths are worshipers of Chaniud and of course smiths of silver and gold, with a history of Adventurering, House Silversmith's existence as a noble house has been short lived. History ''An Incomplete History of the Noble House Silversmith '' Four generations ago there lived a man named Willingham, a happy and devout boy born into poverty. His own father a Cleric of Chaniud gave the boy up as an apprentence to a well known and kind hearted Silversmith. Whose name is currently lost to history. The father of Willingham, who is beleived to of also been called Willingham went off to fight in the Lich War. He never returned. As Will grew his skill working precious metals grew as well. By his 20th year He had long since surpassed his master in skill. Proud and not bitter the master, who was in poor health, left him his equipment and shop. Will's own skills in craftsmanship were matched only by his skill with a sword. And family legend tells that he often journied over hill and dale on adventures between his normal work. Soon his work began to attract the attention of the noble families of Hazuk. For, despite his common origins his silver and gold was so fine it soon would be considered unfashionable not t o own jewlery created by Willingham. Eventually he took the trade name Silversmith as his own surname. Though still a commoner and considered rare, it was not unheard of for master craftsmen to do such a thing. Here is where the legend grows rather vague, At some point Willingham attracted the attention of a young and recently married noble woman known as Lady Lancia Townsend III. No one knows how this happened exactly, but the young married woman and Willingham become life long friends, and according to certain rumors of the time more than that. Indeed any one of her several children at different points were rumored to of been fathered by Willingham, but no one could ever seem to agree which. What is important is eventually Willingham took a wife of his own, a woman from a foreign land named Geiina. Little is known about Geiina as she dissapeared shortly after the birth of Willingham's son. She was described in records as having hair like fire and eyes of a strange amber hue, and odd, presumably foreign mannerisms no one could place. As well as skin considered quite pale by Bazareene standards. Willingham's first born son was named Alexandre. He also learned the family's craft and was considered nearly as skilled as his father. However he far surpassed his father with a blade. It would not be long before Alexandre set off on Adventures of his own. Things were good and peaceful for the now quite wealthy though common family of Silversmith. Until an urgent letter arrived from the now widowed noble lady Will had so long ago befriended, and perhaps bedded. The nature of the letter is lost to us, the rumor is it involved one of her sons, and perhaps Willingham's son as well. Some trouble he was in. Kidnapped and held for randsom most likely but no one really knows. And Willingham and Alexandre almost never spoke of it. Willingham however had grown old and was no longer fit to undertake such a rescue mission, He charged his son Alexandre with this quest. Alexandre left, and returned months later, he had found not only the noble woman's son (Occasionally when deep in his cups Alexandre would admit he looked a lot like himself.) but he had found a bride as well; Aoen, A beautiful woman from Terrepek, a wizard of all things. She was known as Aoen the Great in Terrepek and was from a long line of wizards. The now widowed Lady Townsend was so greatful she granted the Silversmith's a portion of her lands around Lake Dallin, as well as several holdings and around Hazuk, along with a title of nobility. Willingham designed the family symbol as a stylized Silver mirror, long a symbol of the art of working precious metals and designed to reflect the holy symbol of Chaniud in memory of his now nearly forgotten father who died in the war so long ago. Several years later Willingham succumbed to old age and passed on leaving Alexandre and Aoen the titles and lands. Alexandre and Aoen would continue to journey together, hiring people to run their lands and holdings for them, the family wealth grew, despite Willingham's jewelery no longer being as fashionable as it once was. Alexandre himself found little time to create such trinkets. On their journies the young couple happened upon a caravan of Elves that had been attacked by the Yuan-Ti, clinging to what they presumed to be his mother's lifeless corpse, the couple found a baby. They, finding no survivors, adopted him and named him Willeem, after Alexandre's father. Willeem would not be their only child however as several weeks later they discovered Aoen was pregnant. This child came with out complications and was named Aoeni, after his mother. The family was not popular among the Hazuk elite, having no friends in the nobility and if rumor of nobile siblings still persisted they were ignored as no family bothered to come forward to defend the Silversmiths from slander and other such attacks. For they were a recently raised house, with no dragons blood, and a wizard of all things running it. (The Nobility would never accept Alexandre as the leader of the house.) Further more rumors persisted that Aoen would not have the Sherem transformation performed on her unborn son. As the years went by, with no daughters to inherit the family's holdings Aoeni became leader of the house. He married a minor member of another nobile family, Victoria Townsend. The bastard daughter of Lancia Townsend the IVth. Having no titles or lands of her own she joined House Silversmith and adopted their name. (Unknown to most she was also Aoeni's cousin, as his grandfather was the sire of Victoria's mother.) Aoeni hoped that, despite having no magical talent of her own she would give him a sorceress daughter. She died giving birth to their only child Alexandrina Silversmith. Willeem would go on to fuse both his father's fighting style and his mother's learned magic into a powerful new form. Later he taught many of his techniques to Alexandrina. Alexandrina was, something different for her family. She could naturally control magic. Creating a number of minor effects at a young age. The possibility of a real sorceress leading the family excited Aoeni, who pronounced her a prodigy. However this adoration and effection would soon fade as it became clear she could not, or would not develop as fast as expected. Indeed, despite mastering a few cantrips Alexandrina had trouble creating and learning even low level spells. Dissapointed Aoeni essentially ignored Alexandrina from that point, proclaiming her, "his worthless daughter." Though her uncle recognized her for what she was and found her a tutor, through music she could focus her magic to create a number of effects. And to augment this she was also taught swordsmanship in the family tradition. Aoeni spent the next decade and a half after his father and mother and wife died in a downward spiral, refusing to accept Willeem's help in running the family's affairs. He spent most of that time in a drunken stupor, throwing good money after bad trying to make up for bad investments and gambling losses. By the time he died the family was heavily indebted. He left only the family manor to Alexandrina, which was then sold off to meet debts and other obligations. Alexandrina managed to keep a small parcel of land that was once her Great Grandfather's original shop, she tore down the old crumbling building and built a modest home on it, her uncle Willeem, with his own money opened a Dojo in Hazuk where he teaches swordsmanship. Though its opened only infrequently as he is often out on adventur es of his own continueing the family tradition. Alexandrina is the current Matriach of House Silversmith, though she typically pays it little mind or tends to not think of it. She never really considered herself nobility. Though her recent interactions have caused her to reconsider this. Alexandrina has a still living Grandmother on her mother's side but she has never met her and knows little of that family. Current known living Members: Alexandrina Silversmith Willeem Silversmith Alexander Silversmith Seleina Silversmith Current holdings: One bedroom home and property in Hazuk, Partial ownership of the Last Call Inn and Tavern outside of Hazuk.